More than 18,000 muggings in London went unsolved last year, the Liberal Democrats are warning.
They published figures from the House of Commons Library showing 18,584 robberies of personal property reported in 2023 in the capital were closed without a suspect being identified.
This breaks down to more than 50 a day, they added.
Just 3.6 per cent of robberies of personal property reported last year led to a suspect being charged or summonsed, they stressed, down from 6.4 per cent the previous year.
The Met Police had the highest proportion of unsolved muggings, with over 62.3 per cent of these crimes going unsolved, a rise of more than 2,000 from the 16,433 in 2022, they stated.
The figures were highlighted today by the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for Wimbledon, Paul Kohler, who was the victim of a brutal attack at his home.
The law lecturer was left “unrecognisable” and needed facial reconstruction surgery after the violent incident in Wimbledon in August 2014.
Four burglars were jailed for the crime.
Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 24, received 19 years each after admitting causing grievous bodily harm with intent and aggravated burglary.
Oskar Pawlowicz, 30, and Dawid Tychon, 29, who admitted aggravated burglary, were sentenced to 13 years each.
Mr Kohler was pinned down on the floor during the attack and beaten, leaving him with a fractured left jawbone, a broken nose and a fractured eye socket.
The burglars were all under the influence of drugs and alcohol on the day of their horrendous crime, the court was told.Speaking on Monday about the number of robberies of individuals going unsolved, he said: “These shocking figures show muggings are being effectively decriminalised by this Conservative Government, with far too many violent criminals let off the hook in London.
“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing.”
Police minister Chris Philp stressed there were a record number of police officers in England and Wales and forces were committed to investigating all crimes with leads to follow.
He added: “Sadiq Khan as London Police and Crime Commissioner must do a lot better as the Met clear-up rates are lower than other forces.”
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “This Tory Government have slashed £1bn from the Met Police in real terms since 2010, while making damaging cuts to a whole host of preventative services.”
Wimbledon is a three-way marginal at the General Election.
The Lib Dems appear in the best position to oust the Conservatives, having come second at the 2019 election, more than 7,000 votes ahead of Labour.
Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Ed Davey have already visited the constituency, in a sign that both the Conservatives and Lib-Dems believe they can win here.
